


Gangster

by HJashin



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Gangsters, Jealousy, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Tattoos, Yakuza
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:27:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29104032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HJashin/pseuds/HJashin
Summary: A gangster falls in love. ItaSasu, NejiSasu?
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
> 
> Author’s Note: You do NOT have my permission to copy, translate, use, and/or replicate this work on any platforms, including but not limited to online sites and print/copy texts.

A steady stream of smoke swayed into the atmosphere. A click of a signature butane lighter. A puff of tobacco fumes blending into the breezy night air. 

The moon was full tonight, its cascading light bouncing off the grimy alley walls and extending the shadows of a large silhouette. The owner had a permanent, monotonous expression embedded deep in his features as he nonchalantly stared at the round orb above. 

“Please stop! Gaaaah, p-please, urggh!” 

Some rodent in the narrow alleyway behind the man was yapping like a dog. Why did lowlifes always squeal when they were squeezed? It wasn’t anything new. In fact, the words were verbatim as if someone had played a recorded cassette of it each time a little pressure was applied. 

“I’ll bring you the money! Please j-just give me another day!” 

A kick there. A bloody cough. More begging. 

The man with the broad shoulders sucked in the last of his cigarette and allowed it to slip from his fingers. His black dress shoe came down to smear it against the pavement as if he was squishing a bug. 

He then lifted his arm up, palm splayed open, and immediately a serrated knife was placed in his grip. 

When he finally turned his attention toward the activities behind him, he eyed the man who stood next to the curled up figure. When he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was low and calm; the equivalent of the tone a normal person used to talk about the weather. 

“Naruto, I asked you to take out the trash, not play playground bully.” The man’s gaze flickered down to the squirming body on the pavement before he settled back on the six foot one blonde, who began laughing nervously. “If you weren’t so kind-hearted, perhaps vermin like that would think twice before attempting to take advantage and try to skip town.” 

“Sorry about that, Itachi-sama,” Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Perhaps you would benefit from a lesson or two with Neji.” 

“I’m just tagging along for the shits and giggles,” Neji chimed in. He was crouched low in a squat at the further end of the alley, with elbows on his thighs and cheeks propped up on his hands. The brunette grinned cheekily. 

Itachi sighed inaudibly. “Which hand?” he asked, not even bothering to cast a glance down at the man breathing heavily on his side. He heard the brief sound of retching, but he paid no heed. 

Itachi’s foot came down on the hand closest to him when his question was left unanswered, crushing the bones to the cemented ground. He crouched down as if he was performing the mundane task of tying his shoe, and a second later, the sickening crunch of bone echoed into the night followed by a piercing scream. 

The man idly dusted himself off as he stood and handed the knife back to one of his henchmen. 

“Boss, how’d you do that without getting blood on yourself?” Neji asked in amazement as he bounded closer to the scene. Blood began to pool around the man’s hand as his finger laid disconnected next to the body. 

“Break his legs,” Itachi commanded, ignoring the brunette. “Let’s see if you can run if you can’t walk.” 

The man disappeared after, leaving Neji and Naruto to wrap up the night. 

“Man,” Neji exhaled with a hint of mirth, “is it just me or is he actually in a decent mood today? I mean, when was the last time you heard him ask someone which hand they’d prefer to chop off?” 

Naruto eyes Neji with an unreadable look. “You’re oddly in the right line of work,” he commented. 

“Why, thank you! Now, which leg do you want?”


	2. Part 1

It was the dead of the night that seemed to invite trouble.

Sasuke stretched his arms over his head and glanced at the clock hanging behind him. It was just shy of two in the morning. Aside from the lit convenience store and the dim street lamp outside, everything else was pitch dark. He would label the store a beacon if he didn’t know in the back of his mind that everything that happened inside could be seen from outside, but not vise versa.

He hated taking the night shift, but he was doing a favor for Shikamaru. Idly, the 20-year-old flipped through his notes from class. A midterm was coming up, and if he didn’t at least brush up on the literature, he may actually have a hard time on it.

A few minutes wasted by before the jingle that echoed throughout the store notified him of a customer. Sasuke quickly stuffed his notebook away and pushed away from the counter, standing up tall. 

Very briefly, he made eye contact with a very tall and large man who strolled in. He must have been at least six-foot-three. Ginormous compared to Sasuke’s five-foot-ten frame. That man had a wide set of shoulders on him tailored to an equally wide back. The expanse of his body was covered from head to toe in a customized suit, which was further layered with an expensive-looking large, black coat and a scarf jostling lightly around his neck. His hands were covered in leather gloves, and his shoes made not a peep as he walked as if he was a ghost.

“Oh, hello. Nice to see you again,” he managed to find his voice and say.

Sasuke suppressed an uncomfortable shudder and forced himself not to fidget as the man merely held his gaze for a second and turned to head further back into the store. The college student sighed and his shoulders sagged. Geez.

This was the second time Sasuke had set his eyes on the man. He wasn’t someone who was easily forgotten because he looked like he belonged anywhere, but in a convenience store. Not to mention he was extremely good looking, but in a scary, don’t-fuck-with-me kind of way. Did that make any sense?

Another jingle echoed through, and Sasuke glanced to his right to see a lanky figure with light blue-grey hair smirking at him. Aww, fuck. He could literally smell the trouble emitting off the stranger. Just his luck.

“I’m a customer. Aren’t you going to fucking welcome me?” the man sneered. 

“Welcome, sir,” Sasuke said, ignoring the haughty tone. He just wanted to curl into bed on a Thursday night and get some sleep. Wasn’t that a reasonable request?

The loud-mouth stalked the front and rummaged around before tossing a cheap plastic lighter and two packs of peanuts on the counter. Wordlessly, Sasuke scanned the items and placed them in a bag before delivering the amount: five dollars and twenty-one cents.

The man tossed a hundred dollar bill on the counter. Sasuke took one glimpse at it, and internally sighed. Here we go, he thought.

“I’m sorry, sir, but unfortunately, we don’t have change for large bills.”

The man’s face twisted up immediately. “Bullshit,” he spat. “What fucking convenience store doesn’t accept a hundred dollar bill! That’s a fucking cash register, isn’t it? All you gotta do is open it up and hand me my fucking change.”

“If you look at the sign on our door and the counter, it is store policy that we cannot accept anything over a fifty dollar bill,” Sasuke responded. 

“The fuck?” the belligerent customer reached over the counter and snagged Sasuke up by the front of his shirt, literally dragging his torso over the counter in a fit of rage. “First, you rip me off, and now you’re saying I can’t fucking read? Are you trying to start a fight?”

Sasuke gritted his teeth. “Sir,” he grounded out, “we don’t have change for a large bill. Punching me in the face will not change the store policy or change the prices that are pre-set by the manager.” 

The grip around his collar tightened, digging the back of Sasuke’s collar into the back of his neck. It was starting to hurt. The ravenette’s fingers twitched as he braced one hand against the edge of the counter and his other reached toward his back pocket.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Sasuke noted the change in the man’s expression and saw a fist flying toward his face. He shut his eyes tightly and waited for impact, while his unoccupied hand remained gripping at his back pocket. 

But the impact didn’t come. In its stead, there was a loud thump followed by a hysterical cry that definitely did not belong to him. When his eyes shot open, not only did he not end up with a broken nose, but Sasuke noticed that the blue-grey haired man was no longer standing in front of him. In fact, his cheek was smashed into the counter and held in place by a black, gloved hand from behind.

Sasuke’s heart thudded painfully in his chest as he followed that gloved hand up the owner’s arm all the way to the blank features of the long-haired male who walked in previously. The man had twisted one of the belligerent man’s arms back while his other hand remained firmly planted on the back of the screaming man’s head. The well-dressed male didn’t spare a glance at Sasuke, however. In fact, he was staring stoically at the man, but for some reason, Sasuke could decipher that that look translated into the word ‘scum’.

“Aargh! What the fuck! Get off of me!” the man wailed, attempting to lash out with his other arm. 

Sasuke watched, wide-eyed. He could have sworn he heard the distinct sound of bone crackling as he watched the long-haired man further dig the screaming man’s face into the counter. He couldn’t begin to imagine how much strength it took to hold a man down in such a way that made it look easy. 

“Say it again.”

Sasuke gulped. It took a minute for him to register who was speaking and what it meant. He had never heard him speak before, so all his brain registered was a low, deep voice that, for some reason, was simultaneously as smooth as it was calm. He glanced between the two men, before the meaning registered.

He cleared his throat and prayed his voice didn’t shake as he spoke. “We… We don’t have change for a large bill.” 

More pressure was applied to the man’s head, and Sasuke was sure that, at any second now, it would pop like a balloon. 

“Fuck! Fine, fine! I get it,” the man screeched. “Let go already!”

The man in black wordlessly took a step back, releasing his hold, and the asshole snagged his bill and stormed out without a second glance back, spouting nonsense about unreasonable people. 

Sasuke was stunned to silence, saucer-wide eyes staring at the remaining male as if he was an alien. He watched dumbfoundedly as the man took a step forward, set a bottle of water on the counter, and waited. It was like he was accustomed to this kind of thing and knew Sasuke needed a moment, so instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

Finally, the short-haired ravenette snapped out of it and swallowed harshly. “Excuse me,” he opened his mouth to say. “I’m really grateful you helped me out, but there’s no smoking in here.”

Sasuke mentally slapped himself. What the fuck was he thinking saying such bullshit? Did he not want to live anymore? 

He watched nervously as the man paused in the middle of retrieving his lighter, and Sasuke swore he was ready to meet his maker. That unnerving blank expression did not change, but the man did cease his movements at his words. After what seemed like an eternity, the lighter disappeared back into the man’s pocket much to Sasuke’s debilitating and overwhelming surprise, and he released the breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

“Thank you,” he said. “And here,” he picked up the bottle of water and handed it back to the man, “this is on me as a thank you.” The college student forced a smile, waiting for the man to accept the beverage and, just when he thought the gesture would not be welcomed, the bottle was retrieved from his grip. 

“Knives require close contact.”

Did Sasuke’s brain glitch during the madness? This man was speaking to him again, right? It must have been him because Sasuke saw his lips move and there was no one else in the store, but he didn’t follow what he meant until the man’s gaze flickered to his back pocket where Sasuke had his pocket knife switched open.

Next thing he knew, there was another clunk on the counter as if something really heavy was set down. He looked down and choked on his own spit.

“Just shoot him next time.” 

Sasuke was left utterly dumbfounded, staring incredulously at the gun that was placed on the counter. The man had disappeared when he looked back up, leaving the weapon in place staring eerily back at him. His body finally sagged down to a crouch, hands weaving into his hair. ...Was this his to keep?

What. The. Fuck. His brain screamed, red alarm bells going off. What the fuckity fucking fuck? 

Oh, fuck no. Fuuuuuuuuck no. He was definitely quitting after this.This job was definitely not worth his sanity. 

When Sasuke got home that morning after five, the first thing he did was tuck the gun away underneath a bunch of clothes in the bottom drawer. What the fuck was he supposed to do with a gun? 

The unfamiliarity of the weight in his hand was a clear indication he had never held one before. Unlike that stranger who pulled it out from underneath his layers of clothing as if it was as light as a feather. Was that even fucking normal to be walking around with a gun? And why did he give him a gun? 

Where the hell did it even come from? Would a description of it pop up on the eight o’clock news? Well, if it did, he could bet that no fingerprints would be found on the one that was left behind. Obviously, he couldn’t leave it on the counter at that store for some idiot to find, but he turned into the idiot for taking it and stuffing it in his bag. 

Ugh, this was driving him mad. But this wasn’t the time to obsess over this. He was exhausted, and he had just enough time for a shower and a nap before his university courses at nine. 

A few hours later, Sauske found himself yawning into his palm as he snagged his usual aisle spot at the back of the lecture hall and dropped his bag in the seat next to his. His forehead hit the wide expanse of the elongated table and he allowed a strangled groan to escape his lips. Of course he ended up not sleeping a wink. Just his luck. But which normal human being would be able to after being handed a gun after an aggressive altercation? 

The ghost sensation of fingers tickling his nape forced him to turn his head and peek to his side, wherein a tall cup of caffeine was placed before his vision. 

Sasuke’s eyes glowed as he noted the man who put it there for him. “My savior,” he said in response to Kyuubi’s wide, dazzling grin. 

“Drink up, beautiful,” the blonde replied as he hopped into the seat next to his, chuckling obnoxiously when the nickname was met with Sasuke’s scrunched up face. 

The ravenette never understood how morning people like Kyuubi existed. Sure, he was currently biased, but how does someone wake up, go to the gym, make themselves look like that, and have time to get coffee all before attending a class at 9AM? 

He pushed himself into a sitting position and drank from the cup, blinking twice consecutively when it suited his taste buds. 

“One cream and two sugars, right?” the blonde reaffirmed, cheek against palm as he stared at Sasuke’s startled expression with an appeased half smile. 

“How did you know?” Sasuke asked. 

“Pfft, don’t sound so surprised. We’re best friends after all.” 

Sasuke ducked his head and took another sip. Yeah, he knew that. How could he not if that was constantly being repeated to him verbatim? 

“Whatever,” he muttered, missing the serious glint in Kyuubi’s eyes as he turned his attention forward. 

Class began soon after. 

H.J. 

“There’s been a lot of movement recently on the east side, Boss. We think it might be related to the rumor that the Head is terminally ill,” Naruto reported, placing an aerial photo on Itachi’s desk. The specified locations were marked by red x-es. “It’s mostly in the areas with concentrated populations and booming businesses. There has also been an increase in crime in those areas.”

Itachi eyes flickered to the photo, taking a mental picture of it for future reference. “Who’s looking good to take Danzo’s seat?” he asked.

“Possibly Orochimaru.”

Itachi’s gaze hardened, yet his expression remained neutral. He leaned back against his office chair and stayed silent, causing Naruto to squirm in his spot. Finally, when he opened his mouth to speak, his words were directed at the brunette who had been leaning against the adjacent wall with a foot propped up against it.

“What do you think, Neji?” 

When Itachi asks for your thoughts, the last thing that should come out of your mouth is “I don’t know.” Literally. Because an “I don’t know” awarded you a first class ticket to hell. Neji smirked, removing the unlit cigarette that he’d been fiddling around with from between his lips.

“If Orochimaru comes to power, there will be incessant and unnecessary territorial disputes,” he began, cackling lightly to himself at the term “dispute.” That was definitely putting it lightly. “Currently, we’ve kept to our domains. North, south, east, and west know not to stir up trouble outside of their homes, and the respective Heads know how to fly under the radar. The last time there was such a ruckus was three years ago when you succeeded the previous Head, Itachi-sama. Everyone has been playing nice since. However, if Orochimaru is causing such a stink now when he hasn’t succeeded in overthrowing Danzo, imagine the fires we’ll eventually have to run around putting out if he manages to take over.” 

Neji’s gaze flickered briefly to Itachi, and if he hesitated prior to his next statement, he didn’t outwardly show it. “Besides, doesn’t he have his eye on you, Itachi-sama?” The brunette didn’t know whether to double over laughing or pat the man’s back in sympathy when he noticed the eyebrow twitch. He’d rather not meet his maker yet. He quite liked where he was in life, so he stored that away for later. “Anyway, I’d take a wild guess and predict that he’d first try to overthrow Sabaku no Gaara of the Suna clan in the west and Hatake Kakashi of the White Fang clan in the south before knocking on our front doorstep. Tch. Greedy piece of shit, ain’t he?” 

“So should we aim for prevention at this point or continue to monitor-and-report?” Naruto asked.

“Monitor and report,” Itachi responded. “If he steps foot on the North side, kill him and bring me his head.” 

Naruto froze, eyes widening slightly. If the boss wanted his head, then it must have gone further than just a territorial feud. He began to wonder what had happened between Orochimaru and Itachi before he caught Neji’s subtle head shake and immediately straightened like a rod. 

“In the meantime, I’ll add a few extra men around the border and populated areas. Kisame’s been restless recently. Maybe he’ll find something fun to do.”

Itachi nodded, waving Naruto off. The blonde bowed and left, closing the door quietly behind him. “Neji, get me another gun from storage.” 

The dismissal of the blonde and simultaneous change in subject meant the meeting was over.

Neji arched a brow. “Hmm. Didn’t you snag one the other night from the new shipment?”

Come to think of it, that night when they were having a talk with that middle aged geezer, the boss had disappeared for about a half hour before returning with a bottle of water and an empty holster.

Okay… hmm… now Neji was extra curious. 

“Neji. Gun. Now.” 

Neji blew a sigh. The man was so accustomed to giving orders that he no longer knew how to speak like a normal human being. “Yessir,” he chimed with a salute. “Will do now.” He bowed and exited, making sure to shut the office door behind him. 

Man, he didn’t need a repeat of what happened the last time someone neglected to close the boss’s door on their way out. 

The brunette was dragged to the side as soon as he stepped foot in the hallway. 

“Oh, you didn’t leave?” Neji remarked, eyeing the blonde disinterestedly. 

“Tell me about Orochimaru and Itachi,” Naruto hissed. 

Neji stuck the cigarette back between his lips, allowing it to dangle dangerously low. He pressed the elevator button and sighed, head tilting to the side in thought. “Have you ever seen Itachi-sama shirtless?” he asked.

“The hell are you talking about, Neji-san?” Naruto screeched. The elevator doors opened and he stepped in along with the brunette. “I’m asking about Orochimaru and Boss. What does Boss being shirtless have anything to do with it?!”

A petrifying gaze overtook Neji’s eyes, which was then directed at Naruto, a silent warning for the way he was being spoken to. Naruto immediately pressed his lips tightly together. “I’m sorry. I’m a newbie to this, and all of this just makes me super anxious.”

“Talk like that to me again, and I’ll slit your throat,” Neji responded, eyes steady and unwavering. A brief second later, when Naruto was kicking himself for stepping into the elevator with a fucking bipolar loon, Neji blinked and his pale eyes were replaced with mirth. He leaned against the railing in the elevator and removed the cigarette from his lips while sighing.

“I don’t know the full story since I was an underling at the time. All I know is that, back when Itachi wasn’t the head of Akatsuki, he got in a huge brawl with Orochimaru. That scar on his abdomen is the result of having a karambit gut him. Have you ever been gutted by a serrated karambit, Naruto?” 

The blonde’s eyes expanded three fold. “How the hell did he survive that?” he breathed out. 

Neji shrugged. “Aren’t you fortunate to serve under such a resilient Head?” 

Naruto nodded wordlessly.


	3. Part 2

When Sasuke stepped foot into the convenience store that afternoon to quit, he was met with quite a bit of resistance. “Resistance” being a bawling Iruka. 

“But you can’t quit!” the man had wailed on his knees in front of Sasuke, who was beyond uncomfortable. “You’ve only been here a month and no one else wants to apply for a job here because of its location!” 

The 21-year-old had tried to get the man on his knees, but he simply clutched onto his pant legs. “That’s why I don’t want to work here,” he nearly screeched. “Do you know how many weirdos come in here on a daily basis? It’s not worth the crazy.” 

“I’ll increase your pay by twenty-five percent and each time you do the night shift I’ll pay you based on overtime pay!” Iruka cried. “Please stay!” 

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his temple. He could use the extra money for rent and tuition, not to mention he was running low on the essentials. And it would save him from having to look for another job so far into the semester. Goddammit. 

“Fine,” he said. “Please give me my schedule for this week.” 

Iruka shot up from the ground with a big grin and hopped behind the counter, rummaging through the shelf. Finally, he pulled out a highlighted sheet of paper with Sasuke’s name on it and handed it to the student. 

“Please don’t be mad,” he said quickly as soon as Sasuke’s eyes roamed over the schedule. 

An irk mark appeared on the boy’s temple. “This says I work the night shift for the whole weekend.” 

Iruka laughed sheepishly. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

Sasuke walked out the door without a backwards glance. Sigh. The things he did for money. 

When he got home, Sasuke flopped down onto his bed in exhaustion. If college was supposed to be the best time in everyone’s life, why did he feel like he was ready to lay himself down into an early grave instead? 

Good Lord. 

At the same moment he considered blowing off some steam, his phone beeped beside him. 

Kyuubi: Let’s go on a date. ;)

Sasuke rolled his eyes. What kind of bull honky was he spouting now? His fingers flew over his keyboard while his heart spasmed in his chest. If only the man knew how he felt, maybe he would tease him so often and say such ridiculous things. 

Sasuke: Not in this lifetime. 

Kyuubi: Oh, boo. How about dinner then? 

Sasuke: Where at? 

That’s how Sasuke found himself at a bar and grill on a Friday night with an upbeat Kyuubi sitting across from him. It was actually one of the nicer establishments, and they chose a booth in the back corner to slide into. 

“So what? You’re going to keep working the night shifts then?” Kyuubi asked, brows drawn together. 

“Most of them should be day shifts with some exceptions.” Sasuke shrugged. “I could use the money, and I’ve finally gotten the hang of things.” 

The blonde shot him a look asking if he was stupid. “So you’re going to stay because you don’t like change,” he deadpanned. 

Yeaaah, that was it. Change was especially hard for him, and he had spent all that time getting to know the ins and outs of the convenience store’s policies. It would be rough starting over again at a different job. 

Halfway into their meal when things got goofier and the ravenette finally got the opportunity to relax from an uneventful week, he excused himself to use the restroom. He didn’t know it at the time, but, the moment he stood up from his seat and made his way to the front of the restaurant, he began a chain reaction of tiny events that would eventually lead to his fate. 

The bathroom was surprisingly tidy and clean. It was one of the single occupancy ones that required him to lock the door upon entering. Sasuke caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror as he bent down to wash his hands. His cheeks were dusted with a pale pink from laughing so hard and his hair was in its typical unruly state. 

He checked his phone as he unlocked the door and made his way out, but as soon as he stepped out, his foot caught the hinge and his body jerked forward. 

Shit, he thought, squeezing his eyes shut to embrace for impact as his palms flattened and flailed in front of him in an attempt to ease his fall.

Instead of scraped elbows and knees, his hand smacked against something hard and sturdy, and he felt the odd sensation of arms coiling around his waist whilst his body hit against that aforementioned hard, yet warm surface. 

“Woah, careful there, Princess,” he heard a saccharine, yet low baritone utter carefreely. 

One of his eyelids opened, followed by his other, until both eyeballs were blinking at the man who was cradling his body very close to his. Sasuke looked down at his hands, which were pressed flat against the stranger’s oddly defined chest.

Immediately following his embarrassment, he scrambled out of the man’s hold, pushing against the chest to get his body away and nearly tripping again in the process. But this time he had regained his footing albeit clumsily. And then he didn’t something even more idiotic. He outright stared at the man who, just seconds before, cradled him like a baby. 

Lush skin that looked like fluffy pillows. Long, chocolate brown hair. Milky white eyes. Signature black suit and expensive loafers. Coat hanging off his shoulders. An unlit cigarette dangling precariously between upwards tilted lips. 

“Hmm?” The man cocked his head, the gesture reminding him of a toddler staring with rounded eyes, as he held Sasuke’s bashful gaze. 

“T-Thanks,” Sasuke forced himself to utter, before he hightailed it back to his spot. It was only after he sat down and took a big gulp of water that he realized the long haired man had called him a princess. 

Man, how embarrassing. 

H.J. 

Sasuke was staring blankly into space a couple hours later at work when he realized that he had absolutely no idea where his phone was. The fact that immediate panic didn’t ensue when the thought occurred to him and it took him so long to realize it nearly made him laugh. It wasn’t like he texted anyone other than Kyuubi, and it wasn’t like he had any family to talk to. Occasionally, it would come in handy when he had to call into work or school, but aside from that, it was just plain tedious to lose it. 

He attempted to retrace his steps to figure out when it left his being, but drew a blank. He should probably use the store phone to call Kyuubi so the man wouldn’t fuss, but it was a little over one in the morning and he doubted Kyuubi was awake. 

A sudden gust of wind flitted by alerting him of a customer. “Welcome,” he said as he looked to his right. As soon as his gaze settled on the customer, his body jolted in place and then froze.

This time, the long-haired man wore a long beige coat over a tailored dark navy suit. Sasuke had to admit he had fan-fucking-tastic style and all the suits he wore complimented everything about his frame. But man, he was scary. Someone could tell Sasuke that the man wore a neon sign on his back that read, ‘Gun for hire’, and he would immediately nod his head in acquiescence.

‘Look but don’t touch’ was also a feasible choice, but he didn’t have the balls to let that thought linger.

Again, the man settled his nonchalant gaze on Sasuke for approximately two seconds, sweeping up and down the length of his body once as if searching for something, before he walked to the refrigerated aisle in the back. Again, the footsteps were inaudible. Again, Sasuke felt his shoulders tighten and his palms sweat. How was he sweating when the temperature felt like it dropped another ten degrees?

This guy was bad news.

Another gust of wind and jingle resonated inside the quiet convenience store, and Sasuke felt an odd sense of deja vu before it was interrupted by a playful voice.

“So this is where you’ve been sneaking off to, Itachi-sama,” the teasing lilt exclaimed. By the time Sasuke looked over, another man had already sauntered into the store and disappeared into the back aisle. 

Sasuke caught a glimpse of brown hair, yet paid no heed to the customer since the man didn’t acknowledge him. In fact, it almost appeared as though the new customer wasn’t even attuned to his existence behind the counter, and he was very okay with that. Honestly, that was the way he liked it, so he remained silent and blended into the background. 

However, one thing did strike a cord. 

Itachi-sama?

There was only one other individual in the store, and unless the newcomer misidentified someone, the man who had been coming nightly into the store was named Itachi.

Surprisingly, Sasuke felt rather satisfied about   
finally matching a name to a face. 

“That’s what you’re going to get?” Sasuke heard from the back. “At least get something a little more interesting if you’re going out of your way to come here. How about a tuna sandwich? You don’t want to lose those gains. Oooh, or a pack of condoms. Yo, Itachi-sama, you need any condoms?”

This man spoke as if he didn’t care for his environment. It would have been embarrassing for the typical individual to talk about such private matters so openly, but there was an air of nonchalance in the customer’s upbeat tone that could have convinced anyone he was talking about the weather. 

However, for some reason, the most blatant thing at the forefront of the boy’s mind was that he couldn’t see Itachi ever buying condoms… or using any. The mere thought was so prevalent that he felt his cheeks turn hot. 

The voice increasingly grew louder as they perused the aisle before Itachi was standing in front of Sasuke with what he assumed to be an irritated expression etched across his pristinely nonchalant features. 

The man set down a bottle of water, and Sasuke noticed that his dark orbs flickered to the red packet of Marlboro that was in the palm of Sasuke’s hand. 

“Ah, I figured, since you didn’t buy a pack the last time, you might be running low.” He forced a smile, but silently berated himself for taking initiative to make his job easier. Maybe now he’d get killed and stuffed into the portable freezer in the back for displaying thoughtful qualities.

He was met with silence, something that he gradually became desensitized to the more times he encountered the man who rarely spoke. 

He wasn’t sure if Itachi was eyeing the box clasped in his hand because he wanted to chop off his hand, or if that was an indication to include it in his checkout. 

“Thank you.”

So it was the latter. Thank goodness. Sasuke smiled and scanned it with the bottle of water. 

“Huh? Did you just thank someone?” the second customer’s muffled voice said with a hint of amusement. 

Sasuke couldn’t directly pinpoint the owner of the voice until a head popped out from behind one side of the man’s shoulders like a gopher out of its hole and a swish of brunette locks swayed in view. 

A curious gaze was bestowed upon Sasuke before a look of recognition flitted across the brunette’s eyes, and a full grin ignited on his face. 

“Ah! You’re the princess from before!”

Ah, fucking shit. What a small world. 

A flush settled on Sasuke’s face as his gaze widened in return. “I’m clearly a guy,” he snapped before he realized what he said and horror settled into his features. 

The man blinked in return, astonishment clear in his gaze, before it was overwritten with what seemed to be a carefree grin. “I know,” he stated. “But you’re beautiful like a princess, so that’s why I called you princess.” 

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek. Just keep your mouth shut. Don’t say anything you’ll regret. He chanted the mantra in his head as an unaffected Itachi paid for his items. 

“I’m Neji by the way.” 

The college student noticed that the brunette had glanced down at his shirt where his name tag was pinned. Ugh, goddammit. 

“Your name’s Sasuke. How cute. I’ll remember that. By the way,” the man rummaged around in his pocket, “I didn’t expect to see you so soon, but here, personal delivery!” 

He set something black and white down on the counter: his missing phone.

“You dropped it when you bumped into me. I kept it safe till now.” 

“Oh. Thank you.” He was grateful to get his phone back, but he wasn’t particularly fond of the conversation at hand. 

“Mhmm, so Sasuke, are you gay—“

“Neji, beat it.” Itachi’s deep voice cut through the brunette’s, muddling up Neji’s last words. 

“Wow. You’re just full of surprises today, Itachi-sama,” he said with awe, but he began backpedaling toward the exit. “I’ll see you around, Sasuke!” he said with a wave. 

“Please don’t,” Sasuke mumbled to himself. He returned the debit card to Itachi, noting the man’s stare. “Here’s your receipt,” he uttered, handing it over with two hands. 

Itachi took it without a word, slid the pack of cigarettes in his pocket, and grabbed his bottled water, readying himself to leave. 

Sasuke bowed his head as the man turned, but as he was returning the water, a sudden thought occurred to him and he reached out a hand to grab onto the man’s sleeve. “Wait!” he yelped. He startled himself with the volume and urgency in his own voice. 

Itachi froze, his eyes rooted on the pale hand that held tightly, yet gingerly, onto the sleeve of his coat. 

Sasuke must have realized his blunder because he retracted his hand immediately as if he burned himself. 

“What?” Itachi asked, his voice as cold as ever. 

“That… thing of yours you gave me last time. Please take it back,” the boy said. 

“Why?” 

So blunt, Sasuke thought with a flinch.

“I don’t think I’ll ever use it.”

Sasuke felt like a flower withering in the cold underneath that unwavering stare. He was met with silence, which caused him to spill more words. 

“Plus, I don’t think it’s safe to keep around. Besides, I don’t even know how to use it.”

“Shall I teach you?”

Sasuke’s head shot up fast. “What?”

“Shall. I. Teach. You?” 

“Umm… I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

“Why not?”

He did a double take. For real? He was asking Sasuke why not? Why not? Did he need to write the man an essay of the long list of reasons why not. He already had quite a few piling up in his head. 

1\. No matter how you looked at it, he was a stranger who looked and acted like yakuza. That is to say, he must be affiliated with gangster activities. 

2\. This man apparently had associates, and his associates looked like trouble. Sasuke did his best to stay away from trouble like a good boy. 

3\. He reduced Sasuke to a frightened, nervous wreck simply by looking at him. If that didn’t spell uncomfortable, then he didn’t know what did. 

4\. It was a fucking gun. And he had told Sasuke to simply whack off the people who bothered him. What kind of psychopathic answer was that? 

Honestly, the better question to ask in this scenario was why should he. And no, that wasn’t a question. It was a statement. Of course, he shouldn’t. 

“I- I don’t think I’m comfortab—“

“I will pick you up here tomorrow at noon. Bring the gun.” 

With that, Itachi was gone, leaving a stupified Sasuke in his wake. 

D-Did... Did he just secure himself a date with a gangster? 

Sasuke screeched and dropped down into a low crouch, stuffing his hands into his spikes. Oh God, oh Buddha, Allah, Jesus, anyone. Save me. What did he get himself into?


End file.
